China Stands Still To Mourn Quake Victims [Video Added]

China stood still Monday in mourning over tens of thousands of earthquake victims, and the government appealed for more international aid to cope with the country’s deadliest disaster in a generation.

Construction workers, shopkeepers and bureaucrats across the bustling nation of 1.3 billion people paused for three minutes at 2:28 p.m. — exactly one week after the magnitude 7.9 quake hit central China.

Air-raid sirens and the horns of cars and buses sounded in memory of the dead.

A number of observers were struck by the power of the event, including Beijing-based blogger Josh Chin, who described it as “a truly astounding scene, equal parts pathos and spectacle” and an example of the “undeniable power” of Chinese sentiments about national unity.

Meanwhile, Danwei notes that all newspapers and websites have switched to black and white in honor of the earthquake victims, while Will at Imagethief ponders rumors (apparently true in some cases) that entertainment venues, websites and broadcasting are to be shut down for the duration of the mourning period.

From CCTV: after the three minutes silence, tens of thousands on the Tiananmen Square started shouting: “Go China!”